The Eighth Plane
by cherrybloo
Summary: It has been 3 years since the terrible attack on London. Somehow, Nathaniel, Kitty, and Bartimaeus meet again and together, they learn about the eighth plane and the terrible dangers that come with it. DISCLAIMER: Jonathan Stroud owns this series, not me!
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE Bartimaeus' POV

I felt myself being tugged, and naturally, I resisted. The enchantment seemed to wrap around my essence and pull hard. The swirls of the Other Place began to disappear and the weightlessness of freedom began to disappear. I was being summoned. I haven't been summoned for three years, and so as I began to materialize inside the pentacle, the pains of the human world jabbed at me harder than ever. I took the shape of a giant-fanged Cyclops and began to study my surroundings.

I was in a dark, small room, lit only by five or so candles. All the curtains were drawn and every door was blocked with a chair. It smelled of human filth and junk. (1. Mind you, human filth and junk? They always smell that way… but this smell was just _jarring_.) Finally, I glanced over at the magician who summoned me. She was sitting down, legs crossed within his pentacle. Her hands were at the sides of his legs, clenched into a fist. A dark cloth cloaked her slouchy figure and a long hood draped over her head hid her facial features. Then, I checked all seven planes. Nothing too suspicious.

Both magician and I didn't speak for a long time. I just stood there and stared at her while she kept looking down. Her finger was unconsciously stabbing at the floor and I watched intently, hoping that she would make a fateful jab at the chalky lines of the pentacle. Minutes later, I had enough.

"Charge, 'miss'," I said pointedly.

The girl did not reply. "_Charge_," I repeated myself and then added, "What did you summon me for? Stand around and do nothing? That would be a nice task."

I heard the shuffling of feet, then the girl stood up, still hiding her face within the deep folds of the hood.

She spoke. (2. It was amazing, really. I thought she was mute and was about to get into how she possibly could have summoned me.) Her voice was so soft, smooth, and musical that it hardly sounded human at all. "Bartimaeus."

"Eh, yeah?" I said, dumbfounded at the sound of her voice.

She sighed and said, "You… you're alive."

"Isn't that part very much obvious?" I replied, regarding to my very functional and alive essence.

"Oh," the girl said thoughtfully, "and you still make stupid jokes…"

I scowled. (3. A Cyclops scowling. Not a pretty site. Especially one with _fangs_.) I retorted, "At least my _stupid jokes_ contain self confidence. Look at you. A big black bed sheet drooped over your bony human body, I see some real self-esteem issues going on there. So you summoned me for assistance? I'm great with the social skills, you know."

"Kitty's been pretty upset over Nathaniel," the girl said a little more loudly than necessary.

"I really don't see the connection here," I said. "Some anonymous cloaked girl who knows Kitty and Na— _what_!? How do _you_ know his name of all people? _Who. Are. You._"

She laughed a silvery flute-like chuckle that had a strangely dangerous edge to it. She looked up, and I caught a glimpse of her eyes flashing. "Kiami (4. Pronounced Ky-_oh­_-me in case you were wondering.) at your service, Bartimaeus of Uruk," she said in a mysterious voice. "Kiami, the one who can see past the seventh plane… and into the eight. Remember me, djinni, remember me." At my service?

And at that, before I could fire up a response, the girl, Kiami, began to speak the dismissal words. Confusion, something I didn't feel very often, bubbled up. She didn't answer my question well enough. Kiami. Who was she? Did she really see the eighth plane? And if she did, was this a threat? What bothered me most was she knew Kitty. Kitty Jones. She knew Nathaniel, but not as John Mandrake. As _Nathaniel. _This rather short summon perturbed me.

What did I feel? Concern. (5. It wasn't that I was an affectionate djinni caring for a _human_. Kitty was different. After she had come to the Other Place, I immediately knew then and there that, like Ptolemy, she would put her life at risk… for me. A bond.)


	2. Chapter 1

ONE

**ONE**

**Nathaniel's POV**

Nathaniel felt nothing. All the pain was gone, though his limbs were stiff. He lay there, limp, for what felt like hours. His body would not respond to him, no matter how hard he tried, for instance, to lift his leg or even crack open his heavy eyelids. Nathaniel's parted mouth tried to speak, but only a weak whimper left his mouth. In his mind, he saw Kitty and her beautiful aura, casting light into his frayed and shadowed heart.

_Kitty_, he moaned in his thoughts, _oh, Kitty, where are you when I need you most?_

All was everything but well.

**Kitty's POV**

"Shoot," muttered Kitty under her breath. "Shoot, shoot, shoot, _shoot_," she repeated for good measure.

Kitty, who was still wrestling with her coat, ran trough the cold London streets as the rain began to poor. She had straightened her dark brown hair and had long bangs that sometimes poked into her dark, yet clear, brown eyes. Her right hand was clasped around a huge duffle bag while the other dragged a dirty lavender suitcase along. Kitty had passports that would bring her to Egypt, but the last bus of the night that would take her to the airport, was already veering away.

"Oh my _god_, no," said Kitty, "not the last bus! Come back! Come _back_!"

With a leap, then a twist, she crashed into a wet puddle, scraping her right knee. Her duffle bag flew out of her hands and the suitcase laid in the puddle beside Kitty. Tears in her eyes, Kitty watched as the bus drive down the street and turn left, toward the plane at the airport that she would never get to ride.

"Why," cried Kitty, "does this _always_ happen to me? Why? I've been waiting all my life, saving up every last penny for this flight!" Her low grumble turned into a shout.

Kitty sat there for a long time, letting seconds turn into minutes turn into hours. She didn't care the passing pedestrians who would occasionally stop by and whisper discouraging words to each other. Of all things she was knew, of all the things that have happened to her, she chose to think of only one thing. John Mandrake. No, it was Nathaniel. A sort of unhappy anger pulsed through her veins. That bloody magician she loved so much. That scrawny cruel magician she couldn't get her mind off. That _magician_ had ruined her life. Took everything away from her, and rearranged them he wanted to. Yet Kitty loved him so much. How much she hated this love.

"Kitty! Wake up, girl," shouted a familiar voice.

Whirling around, she saw a girl beckoning toward her in a limousine, her window rolled down to the lowest point, despite the rain. It was Kaye. Kaye was a cute, happy-go-lucky girl who was about the same age as Kitty. She had long wavy black hair that stretched down across her back like a darkened waterfall. Her big brown eyes always seemed bolted alive with electricity and such… _joy_. She had long eyelashes that naturally curled upwards with a pretty ecstatic smile that matched it all. In short, she was a _beauty_. Everything about her seemed way too perfect.

Kaye was Kitty's next-door neighbour in the small crammed apartment she had moved into. They became best friends from the first day on. Kitty would always find herself in Kaye's arms when she cried or laughing together at the best moments. Kitty slowly stood up and heard her stiff limbs give a slight crack. She heaved her bags up and trudged over to Kaye's car that was now causing a traffic jam.

"I don't get it," said Kitty as she sat down, wetting the leather seats. "You're so rich you get a limo with a chauffer and you live in the same smelly old apartment as me."

Kaye shrugged as she took her black sweater off, "Money doesn't buy happiness. Gosh, you could've killed yourself, sitting in a puddle in the middle of a rainstorm."

Kaye put the sweater around Kitty's shoulders. "I thought you were supposed to be going to, what, Egypt?" asked Kaye.

Kitty scowled. "The bus left."

"Ah, you shouldn't be mad at the bus. You were the one who was late."

"Shut-up."

"Sorry."

There was a moment's silence and the shuffling of feet.

"Mandrake," said Kaye suddenly.

"Huh?" Kitty blinked.

"You're thinking about him. The look on your face…"

"Oh, yeah, right." No matter how much Kitty trusted Kaye, she felt that Nathaniel's true name was like his last gift to her. One that she clutched onto during the hardest times and one that she felt would be better off kept secret.

"You like him."

"_No_."

"You do. Stop denying it, Kitty."

"Shut-up."

"Sorry."

These short conversations that always ended with Kaye's abrupt apologies continued for quite awhile, until something caught the side of Kitty's eye. There was a djinni perched onto the side of the roof of a house in his true form.

"My gosh," said Kaye, "is that djinni trying give people a hard attack or something?"

Five important things had happened since Nathaniel's death. 1. There were now "legal" and "illegal" demons to summon. Nouda could've been on the list if it were not for his death. In order to summon an illegal djinni, you had to get the permit from the government… and an _extremely_ good reason. 2. If you were seen damaging your pentacle so that the demon could enter your body during summons, you would be arrested. 3. After the "Demon Rebellion", demons were rarely summoned in fear that another treacherous attack may attack London. 4. The new government consisted of both magicians and commoners. 5. Most important of all, commoners were no longer treated unjustly. Even the commoners now had the opportunity of learning magic open to them, but most people rejected this chance, as commoners still hated the fact that magic scarred their life.

"Illegal?" Kitty asked as Kaye checked the little pocket book "_Is This Demon Illegal?_" she carried around with her all the time.

Kaye snapped her fingers, and an imp materialized before her. "Imp, tell me the demon's name," she demanded quickly.

"How would I know?" the not-so-bright imp squeaked.

"Stop lying," said Kaye, "all of you beings from the Other Place have a connection. _What is that demon's name_?"

"Disraeli, ma'am, his name is Disraeli," the imp spoke quickly.

"_Thank. You. _A job well done," Kaye dismissed the imp, rolling her eyes. "Disraeli. Definitely on the illegal list. Worse than a djinni." Kaye threw the book aside and her face was lit up with a smile. "This is going to be fun," she said, and ran out of the car just as the limo came to a screeching halt. Kitty sighed. Happy-go-lucky. It was as if that very _word_ was invented for Kaye.

Kaye Hollander was hired by the government to catch illegal or trouble-making demons. She was strong and fit. With her sneaky tactics, she would be able to can a demon by herself if she had to. And this was one of those scenarios. To Kitty, Kaye was half-mad, saying facing such treacherous demons as a full time job was fun. Kaye was born for this job. No one was as ecstatic as her for this job. No one was as witty as her for this job. No one was as powerful as her for this job. Kitty couldn't help but let a smile twitch at her lips when she saw Kaye gleefully sneak behind the demon. She stepped out of the car and finally noticed the rain had begun to clear.

Then, there was a loud scream. Kitty looked up and saw one of her worst nightmares was about to be come true.

Kaye was pinned down on the roof by some invisible force, the demon glaring down at her… with no one there to save her.


	3. Chapter 2

TWO

**TWO**

**Nathaniel's POV**

"I think he's never going to get past this stage," an impatient male voice said.

"No, it takes time," replied a female, laughing. "Especially _your_ process. You took days, and you were moaning for _hours_."

Nathaniel's dull senses slowly began to function again. Before long, he felt the strength of his muscles, though they felt watery. His fingers twitched just a little and the heavy burden that was once around him seemed to be lifted. Nathaniel felt freed. Slowly, he opened his still heavy eyelids, and saw two faces peering down at him. Then his memory made him jolt.

"_You_!" said Nathaniel, almost choking, as he pointed toward the male, straightening up his body with a crack.

Nathaniel couldn't believe his own eyes. The male was Bartimaeus. In that boy… in Ptolemy's form. They stared at each other, both unmoving, for awhile.

"Me?" sighed Bartimaeus.

The female, a teen with curled blonde hair and bright blue eyes, looked from Bartimaeus to Nathaniel, confused. "You know him, Ptolemy?"

"Er, I'm afraid I don't have the slightest recognition. Besides, we didn't live in the same period," he replied.

"Oh, you're Ptolemy," said the disappointed Nathaniel, who seemed to slump downward just a touch.

Ptolemy was still puzzled. "You act like you know me."

"I do, in some aspects."

"You're not making a lot of sense."

"I know you through Bartimaeus."

At the sound of the djinni's name, Ptolemy's eyes crowded with tears. "Oh, Rehkyt."

There was a moment's silence.

"Can you two _please _not forget you're the only ones here?" the blonde suddenly interrupted. "I'm Tanya."

Nathaniel ignored Tanya. "He, Bartimaeus or Rehkyt or whatever you call him, goes around, changing himself into your form a lot."

"I miss him."

"I'm sorry…" said Nathaniel suddenly.

"… for what?"

"About what you believed in. Djinni and human."

"Don't be," said Ptolemy, and then changed the topic, "You must know Bartimaeus as his master, then, don't you. How was he? Did you treat him well?"

Nathaniel felt a lump grow in his throat. He avoided Ptolemy's questions, and, as a joke, said, "Look at poor Tanya. Being ignored."

"About time you _noticed_," said Tanya, rolling her eyes.

"Very well then," said Ptolemy, straightening up.

"Explain to me. Where am I?" Nathaniel finally dared ask. "And why… do I see you, Ptolemy? I thought you were… killed in Alexandria."

Nathaniel saw Ptolemy bite his lip, holding back a laugh. That was when he decided to study his surroundings… and what he saw shocked him. It looked as if he had just washed up upon the shore of an island. They were sitting in a beach like environment, with palm trees stretching up into the sky and white sand. The quiet whooshing sound of the waters calmed Nathaniel a little. Grunting, Nathaniel attempted to stand up. He wavered a little, but was able to balance.

"I was told either a Thomas, Nathaniel, or Katie would show up today," Tanya said to Ptolemy, looking at Nathaniel. "He's pretty scrawny," she added unnecessarily.

"I'm… Nathaniel," he said, hesitating before revealing his true name. "And you still haven't answered my question. Where am I, exactly?"

Ptolemy sighed, "You're pretty clueless, aren't you. Nathaniel, you're dead. Dead."

Nathaniel's eyes widened in shock as everything came crashing back into his memory again. Dismissing Bartimaeus. The staff breaking. Nouda crashing upon him. Then, nothing. Then, he thought of Kitty, and tears welled up in his eyes. He didn't care when he saw Tanya and Ptolemy's concerned faces as he wiped the tears away.

_I'm sorry, Kitty_, he thought, looking up into a sky full of swirls. _I'm so sorry. I died a magician, a bloody, ruthless, lying magician._

"Wake up, Nathaniel," Ptolemy said suddenly. "We have to leave now."

"To where? I'm dead, aren't I? What… what purpose do dead people serve?" said Nathaniel, looking into Ptolemy's wide and trusting eyes.

Ptolemy laughed. "This is going to sound funny, but we're in a more isolated area. Let's go to where this island is… 'alive'."

The three began to hike away from the shoreline. Before long, they reached a city-like environment. People… _dead_ people walked around, shopping, laughing, as if they were still living out their normal lives. Again, Nathaniel was confused with the idea of having "life after life".

"So I guess people are wrong about ghosts," sighed Nathaniel. "Transparent people, floating around without a purpose. So, wait, you mean all the people who have died end up in this very island? This may sound very unintelligent of me, but, does everyone… well, um, fit?"

Tanya laughed. "No. A chain of people who actually _know_ each other people end up on _this_ island. If, at the beach, you decided to sail off to some other island of 'death', you'd see… other dead people. Travelling to different islands is an _extremely_ bad idea because, a) you'll end up on an island where everyone is anonymous to you and b) you may never be able to come back."

Nathaniel blinked. "_I_ don't know _you_. Neither of you."

"So probably someone you know here knows a person who know me," said Ptolemy, shrugging. "Like Tanya said, it's a _chain_. Once the chain stops, it's another island then. Islands change as the world of living changes. For example, during the Industrial Revolution, things shifted here, too."

"Is there a government?" asked Nathaniel eagerly.

"Sort of," replied Tonya. "They're really just _there_ to assign houses to people who have recently died and keep order around. You see, all the islands, this _whole_ world, is called the 'Realm of Death'. The real person who has any control over us is Kiami. Demon of death, goddess of death, it's whatever. She calls the real orders around, here."

"Anything else I need to know?"

Ptolemy's face suddenly turned grave. "Yes. The eighth plane."


	4. Chapter 3

Bartimaeus' POV

**THREE**

**Kitty's POV**

Kitty felt her thump against her chest and her stomach get nauseas as she climbed up the building to save Kaye.

"I've got resilience and courage," Kitty reminded herself, over and over, just to calm herself. Her sweaty hands sometimes made her slip, but her quick reaction would help her reinforce her grip on the building, just in time. When Kitty got up to the roof, she was completely _shocked_ at what she saw. There, Kaye was, chuckling lightly as the demon breathed his foul breath on her. Whatever that was holding her down before, Kaye had already fought off.

"Phantoms on the eighth plane," she muttered to herself. "Planned much too carefully." Then as she wiped away the blood that trickled out of her cut, she noticed Kitty and widened her eyes.

"Kitty Jones!" she screeched. "What in the world are you thinking!?"

Disraeli took a lunge at Kaye and she hopped away, pushing Kitty to the ground at the same time.

"Leave," she said, her voice with such frightening demand it scared Kitty.

"No," said Kitty, "do you think I want to watch another person I love die out there? I've lost enough people in my life, and _I won't lose you_, Kaye! Do you not get it? You're my best friend! If you were gone… I'd fine no reason to… live again…"

The demon fired a Detonation at them just as Kaye dragged them out of the way. She held on to Kitty's shoulders and looked at her in the eye.

"Here's the deal: you leave, and I… prove to you that not _everyone_'s left you yet," said Kaye sternly. "You promise to leave?"

Kitty faltered and her selfish side answered, "I promise. Just as long as _you_ promise to show me whoever you have to show."

Without hesitation, Kaye gave Kitty a hard push toward the area in which she came and waved to her goodbye. Taking one last look, Kitty turned around and slowly began her descent down the building. She ran back to the limousine and watched as Kaye summoned an afrit who, together, knocked Disraeli unconscious. The afrit carried Disraeli down the building, while Kaye climbed down. Both afrit and Kaye made their way toward Kitty.

"Thanks, Kuro," said Kaye appreciatively. No longer were djinni treated too badly in fear of another demonic disaster.

The afrit nodded as Kaye continued, "Bring Disraeli to the Tower of London. For questioning. Then you'll be dismissed."

Kaye sighed. Kitty looked at her unblinking and said, "Your promise."

"Ah yes," she rubbed her temples, "almost forgot."

Kitty snorted. "Now?"

"Now."

They entered the limo, with Kaye muttering something about, "Why she had to be so stupid and promise Kitty this of all things." The ride was quick, and before long, they were entering the smelly old apartment they lived in. It was just one of those dirty apartments with low rent and enough space for a single person— perfect for Kitty. It still remained a mystery why Kaye chose to stay here of all places. The halls of the apartment were quite narrow, and the wood on the main level creaked when you walked across it.

Kitty and Kaye lived on the fourth story of the building, at the end of the hall. With Kaye in front, the girls made their way down the hall and entered Kaye's house. Kitty considered Kaye's place to be 'better' and 'bigger' than the rest as she was the only one in this building who could afford a renovation. It looked like one of those luxurious mini-sized model homes. Kaye led Kitty to a room she had never been in before… the summoning room. There was a pentacle off to the side of the room with a giant bookshelf and a small desk beside on the opposing side.

"Wow," whispered Kitty, looking at the volumes of books all crammed into the bookshelf. She caught a glimpse of the _Apocrypha_ stuffed somewhere within all the other books.

Kaye sat down at a pentacle. Without hold, she began the summons. She spoke far too quiet and low for Kitty to clearly hear what she was saying. Her eyes were hard and unfocused during the summons. She spoke the last word and, with Kitty, watched as djinn materialize in front of them. Kitty gasped.

"Kitty."

A hesitation.

"… Bartimaeus."

**Nathaniel's POV**

Ptolemy, Tanya, and Nathaniel were all seated at a small coffee shop, so "Ptolemy could explain the eighth plane in a more comfortable manner." Nathaniel was still unable to get his head around actually _doing_ something while being _dead_. Tanya took a loud slurp of coffee while Nathaniel absent-mindedly mixed the sugar into the coffee. No one spoke for a long time.

"The eighth plane," Ptolemy finally said, "is a plane that is _rarely_ seen with human, even djinni, eyes."

"I though the eighth plane was one used by djinni to, for example, work the Seven League Boots by warping space."

Ptolemy heaved yet another sigh. "You jump to conclusions. A lot like Rehkyt, you are. That theory is only a hypothesis developed by magicians. Please don't interrupt."

As Ptolemy paused to take a sip out of his cup of coffee, Tanya slipped in a few words of her own, "The eighth plane is actually the only plane in which dead people are visible."

"What!?" Nathaniel nearly choked on his coffee, spilling out splashes of the drink.

"Conserve the drink," said Ptolemy automatically, "coffee was never invented in my day. Such a sweet, sweet taste."

Nathaniel rolled his eyes, "Tanya, continue."

Looking pleased that someone had finally asked her to contribute, Tanya smiled and said, "Now that we are dead, we are more like demons. Instead of 'human bodies', it is more like an 'essence', although to some limitations. For example, the dead still cannot shape-shift. But, there's a big—"

"Thank-you Tanya," said Ptolemy as he drained his last few slurps of coffee. "But I've been here longer, so shouldn't I be the one explaining?"

Tanya frowned and waved her hand, signalling for Ptolemy to pick off where he left off. He continued, "But, there's a big catch to all this. Like the djinni, we are now able to be summoned within pentacles, charged with tasks, and… punished with, perhaps, the Shriveling Fire."

That made Nathaniel whimper. Ptolemy laughed, "Now, here's the good thing. The art of summoning us, 'phantom essences' as they call us, is unknown to anybody. If, for example, it _did_ happen to get discovered, we'd have Kiami to clear up the mess and erase up all the evidence. No need to be afraid. Besides, the eighth plane really is unknown."

"So is that what the eighth plane is for?" inquired Nathaniel. "Seeing phantom essences who have been summoned?"

"Basically."

"Recently, a few of us dead people have been summoned—" said Tanya suddenly.

Ptolemy interrupted again, shooting a dark look at Tanya. "What are you trying to do? Scare him? He's new, take it easy on him!" Ptolemy hissed.

"I don't want anything hidden from me," Nathaniel said as firmly as possible. "Please do share. Ptolemy or Tanya. Either of you."

Ptolemy took a deep breath. "The secret of the eighth plane has been discovered by a… magician. In London."

**Bartimaeus' POV**

Kitty had spoken my name so quietly I felt offended. We stared at each other for quite some time, both unmoving. I had taken the form of Ptolemy, as usual, and was sitting with my legs crossed within the pentacles. I looked at the person who had summoned me. She was staring at me, right in the eye… as if she had met me before. But, she said nothing, and averted her gaze at the shocked and speechless Kitty.

"I thought you were dead," she said in a shaky voice.

"He… I…" I found it hard to speak of Nathaniel's noble act. Perhaps it was because he had given me the exact same gift as Ptolemy.

That was when Kitty broke down, crying. She slid down the wall of the room and that was when I realized I had been in this place before. It was like a missing jigsaw piece I couldn't get exactly right. _Where had I seen this place before?_ Having a misplaced memory bothered me.

"Kitty," I said softly, beginning again, "Na— Mandrake dismissed me. He… did the same as Ptolemy. It's… I think it's something you should know."

The girl who had summoned me walked over to Kitty and began to comfort her. "It's okay," she murmured quietly.

I snapped! That same beautiful voice belonged to the girl who was no hugging Kitty. She had summoned me in this room just a few days ago!

"Kaye, I just feel, I… You… It's…" Kitty blubbered out random words.

_Kaye?_ I could've sworn she was Kiami, the freakish girl who had claimed to be able to see the eighth plane. Kaye or Kiami?

I spoke quickly, "Kitty, I'd like to speak to… er, Kaye, for just a moment. I think I recognize her as one of my previous masters, and I'd like a word with her." I chose my words carefully. From the side of my view, I saw a calm smile spread across Kaye/Kiami's face. Kitty wordlessly left the room, wiping her tears with the edge of her sleeve.

As soon as the door was closed, I began, "Kiami."

"Ah, Bartimaeus, you remembered."

"What do you want with Kitty?"

"Nothing."

I hissed, "I swear I will kill you with my own hands if you harm her."

She laughed.


	5. Chapter 4

FOUR FOURNathaniel's POV

Again, another silence erupted when Ptolemy revealed the fact that the eighth plane had been discovered. How loud the silence seemed. Having enough, Nathaniel stood up, Tanya looking at him in a strange fashion. Ptolemy had his mouth open in a little "O" shape, as if thinking about what he should say next. Whatever he decided to say, Nathaniel didn't hear it because at that precise moment, he heard a loud gush of wind and invisible strings wrap tightly around his body.

"Oh, shit!" shouted Tanya, her eyebrow furrowed.

Nathaniel so desperately wanted to plea for help and ask what was going on, but he couldn't speak. He heard his name being called three times at a distance, "_Nathaniel, Nathaniel, Nathaniel…_" With each call, the strings pulled tighter around him, as if suffocating him. Then, the string tugged.

"Restrain!" Ptolemy ordered nervously. "Resist against the pull!"

Nathaniel tried. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and grasped his fingers around the edge of the coffee table. There was another tug. Harder this time. Nathaniel clenched his teeth together at the third pull. Finally, at the fourth pull, he felt himself break away from the "Realm of Death" and plunge into darkness. The last thing he saw was Ptolemy leap toward him, as if wanting to hold him down. He was just a second late, as Nathaniel had vanished out of visibility by then.

In fear, he shut his eyes. With a whoosh and a cry of pain as the strings dug into his skin, Nathaniel felt himself being plopped onto the ground. The strings seemed to have slithered off him. The air was heavy around him, as if tearing away at his body (or essence, as Ptolemy and Tanya described to him). Sucking in a deep breath to calm himself, Nathaniel finally dared lift his eyelid a crack. He was in a room. Finally trusting himself enough, he opened both eyes… and nearly fell over in shock.

He was inside a pentacle. And this time, not as the _summoner_. But the one in the larger circle. The summoned.

Kitty's POV

As she wiped away her last tears, Kitty closed the door behind her. She was about to sit on one of Kaye's leather sofas to wait until the two finished their conversation until she heard Bartimaeus' voice, sharper and with a darker edge than usual. Kitty quickly stole back to the door, and quietly put her ear against the door, listening to the conversation.

"I swear I will kill you with my own hands if you harm her."

Kaye erupted in laughter.

"Kiami, I—" said Bartimaeus. _Kiami?_

"—shut up," said Kaye (or maybe Kiami) in a beautiful melodic voice Kitty had never heard her use before. "Bartimaeus. I think I may… need your assistance. Both yours and Kitty's."

There was a short silence.

"_You_ need _my _help?"

"Precisely."

Another silence.

"With what, exactly?"

There was a pause, yet again. Kitty heard Kaye/Kiami shift uncomfortably, then she spoke, her voice so quiet that Kitty pressed her ear harder onto the door, "The secret of the eighth plane is being used."

This time, it was Bartimaeus who laughed. "The eighth plane… does not exist. Only half-crazed magicians believe in it."

"You do not have good reasoning, Bartimaeus of Uruk."

"Do I?" Bartimaeus sounded slightly amused.

"Let me say this again, if last time didn't penetrate the message through your thick-headed brain. I am Kiami, mistress of the eighth plane."

At that, Kitty literally jumped away from the door. Kaye, _her_ Kaye… her _best friend_ Kaye saw the eighth plane. Just how much did she keep secret from Kitty? Unhappily, Kitty settled herself on the couch and pretended to be immersed into the TV show that was on. But her eyes were unfocused. Deep in her mind, she was trying to imagine the look on Kaye… no, Kiami's face as she said darkly, "_I am Kiami, mistress of the eighth plane_." Kitty gripped the remote control tightly. The other thing that disturbed Kitty was how Bartimaeus' already rich and powerful voice sounded so thin and weak next to Kaye. Kaye. She would be forever Kaye in Kitty's mind… or will she?

Bartimaeus' POV

This girl seriously needed to learn how to stop calling me "Bartimaeus of Uruk". Stupidly, I said that thought out loud, giving her a bemused look.

"You seriously don't like Bartimaeus of Uruk? Think of it this way. I'm completely _jealous_ of what _you're_ called. Listen to this: Kiami of London. Doesn't sound any good, does it?"

"Get on with it. Why do you need Kitty and me?"

"I've _already_ told you. The eighth plane! Will you _believe _me or _not_!?"

"_I believe!_" I said in a mocking tone.

Kiami snorted. "What if I told you," she said quietly, "that your little _friend_ Nathaniel is in… big trouble right now?" (1. I swear, this girl is a stubborn maniac.)

"I'd shrug and tell you he's dead and get it over with."

"You said you 'believed'. Take out the 'what if'. It's true. Nathaniel's in the worst situation you and your filthy mind can ever think—"

"—who the hell _are _you to keep calling _him_ Nathaniel? And I am _so _not his friend, by the way."

Kiami cranked up an eyebrow. "You're beginning to sound like a girl. You clearly do not know anything about the eighth plane. How oblivious of you. Can you not make the connection? A _dead_ Nathaniel… and the eighth plane…" And at that, she began explaining the _Realm of Death_ to me and what purpose the eighth plane served. At first, I thought they were a string of lies, but the more she spoke about it, the more I though, _Nobody would be able to tell a false story like that… not even me. _(2. Not to be bragging, but it's true. I'm the best at everything, especially when it comes to talking.)

Sighing, I gave in. (3. _I gave in_! That sounds terrible! Bartimaeus the great _giving in_! This Kiami girl clearly wasn't good for my bad ego hang up.) "… and since you 'rule death' you feel Nathaniel being… summoned." I gave a half snort at that. Nathaniel being summoned. Kiami gave me a wry grin that quickly vanished.

"He… is being summoned… into terrible danger…"

"And who am I to care? Would _he_ have saved me? Clearly not. Dismiss me. I do not want to be in any of _his_ business anymore. Bye. Tell Kitty I'm sorry that I couldn't stay with her longer, and that I wished I could, but can't, as staying here will only drag me into a spiral of bad situations. Thanks."

"That was a run-on sentence," Kiami said pointedly, and surprisingly, she dismissed me without another word.

(**Author's note: **I'm sorry, this chapter is _clearly_ a filler, but I want to leave Nathaniel's point of view in the next chapter, as I don't want this chapter to drag!)


	6. Chapter 5

FIVENathaniel's POV

The pentacle was strange. Some of the talismans defied the rules of summoning djinni completely. Instead of a chalky circle in which the summoner was in, it was a strange star. Finally, Nathaniel studied his surroundings. A fat stubby man, who was now fiddling with a ring on his finger, had summoned him. He had a strange moustache that had a strange curl to it. The face looked vaguely familiar…

He averted his gaze to the room. It was a dark room with a pentacle for summoning the dead. Nothing much. Nathaniel was suddenly so _tired_. The strangeness of air from the Earth pierced his "essence". He felt so _weak _and _vulnerable_. Nathaniel suddenly grinned. So this was how it felt to be Bartimaeus.

The man spoke. "You do my tasks well and you remain with your free will. Simple enough."

"Huh? You found a way to… control us?"

"Yes," he gave a grin, "not only can I summon you but I have mastered a way to control you. Call me '_sir_' by the way. Show respect you filthy dead soul."

"I won't listen to _you_—" said Nathaniel and was cut off when the man muttered a word and a ripple of energy surrounded him and sent a surge of pain up his behind.

"You want to give up your free will already?" he said, amused.

"No, no, no," said Nathaniel. Then, hastily, he added a, "_Sir_." Then, cautiously, Nathaniel also asked, "May I ask what your name is, _sir_?"

"'Sir' is all you need to refer to me by," the man snapped.

Nathaniel felt funny to be speaking as the 'slave'. "_Sir_, what is the charge?"

"You catch on quickly."

"Thank-you."

"Thank-you?"

"I mean, thank-you, _sir_."

"Good. We're looking for her," and the man casually threw a photograph into the pentacle. Nathaniel peered at it. Brown eyes, black wavy hair, cute girl.

"Um… _sir_, why do we need _her_? She looks so… inconspicuous."

"Stop saying 'sir' with so much emphasis!" the man howled. He looked at Nathaniel daringly. "Her name's Kiami. Any recognition?"

Nathaniel gasped. Tanya's voice echoed in his head: _The real person who has any control over us is Kiami. Demon of death, goddess of death, it's whatever._

This man, here, was trying to conquer… death.

**Ptolemy's POV**

The whole coffee shop was stunned and quiet. Everyone was looking at the spot where Nathaniel had disappeared, as if hoping the intense stare would make Nathaniel materialize back into the Realm of Death. Tanya was spamming the air with swear words, like a cursing machine.

"Stop being such a street girl," said Ptolemy, "swearing your way through life."

"_How_," Tanya retorted, "can you be so _calm_? We're in a hell lot of trouble, and all you can do is tell me to watch my language?" Ptolemy opened his mouth to object, but Tanya cut in. "That kid hardly knows _anything_ about being dead! He doesn't know his powers, what effect he can have in the world full of… _alive_ people! I've always wanted to say this, Ptolemy, and this is my chance— you are _such_ a pussy!"

"Are you implying that swearing will create a hex in which Nathaniel is sucked back into safety?"

"Don't talk to me, you ass."

"Okay, I won't," Ptolemy licked his lips, hot in anger, and walked out the door. Tanya tagged along. "I thought you said you wouldn't talk to me."

"I'm not," she hissed. "I'm just seeing what you plan on doing."

Ptolemy was swift, walking quickly so that Tanya was always a few paces behind him. Before long, they were at the beach in which Nathaniel had first appeared. He stood as close to the water as possible. Tanya rushed to his side.

"You are _not_," realization flooded into Tanya.

"Yes I am."

"You _know_ Kiami hates being called upon, and if you bother her, you're _totally_ asking for it, Ptolemy!"

"_Don't talk to me, you ass_," Ptolemy mocked Tanya, and she quickly shut up.

After a moment's hesitation, Ptolemy took a stone that had washed upon the shore of the beach. He pulled out a strand of his dark hair and tied it around the rock with great care. He looked up, and with all his strength, threw the stone as far as he possible could as he shouted: "Kiami! An entity of your world calls upon you!" A giant ripple formed in the ocean. Fierce wind knocked both Ptolemy and Tanya to the floor. Mouth open, they watched as Kiami materialized before them.

She scowled as she wiped the dust from her shirt. From the first to the seventh plane, she looked like a normal brunette and some random teen. But, on the eighth plane and in the Realm of Death, she had strange violet eyes. She had pointy teeth that resembled fangs and were long enough to poke out from her mouth. They were still too short to be considered fangs. She had cute pointy ears that reminded Ptolemy a lot of mythical elves. Other than these strange inhuman features, she could still pass for a normal person from afar. Today, Kiami looked extremely disgusted… and annoyed.

"Oh my god, Ptolemy, you really _had_ to call upon me at _this _time. Please, _please_ make it quick. Oh _why_ did I even bother to answer this call… oh, hi Tanya!"

Tanya gave a rueful smile. "Hey Ki."

Kiami focused her attention on Ptolemy. "What."

"… Nathaniel, you probably know…"

"Yeah. How much did you teach him about phantom essences?"

Ptolemy bit his lip. "I've only told him about the eighth plane."

"That's bad."

"_Very_. That's why… I want you to summon me back to earth. To help him."

There was a silence.

"_No_," said Kiami, voice sharp.

"Why not?" challenged Ptolemy. "I may be the only one who can save him!"

"_No_. I will _not_ let you go. You are one of my people now. People of the dead. If… I watch you lose your phantom essence, then it'll be _all_ my fault! It's like you dieing a _second_ time! But this time, there _is _no second chance! There won't be another Realm of Death for you to stick around! You'll vanish out of existence all together! Is that really what you want? Is that really… what _Bartimaeus_ would want for you?"

"Bartimaeus," Ptolemy said firmly, "believes in what I do."

"Would it change," she hissed, " if I told you that Nathaniel kid completely _tortured_ Bartimaeus?"

Ptolemy faltered then. "I… please."

"Why?"

"I… sort of like that Nathaniel. He's already a friend to me. I'm not the type who can tolerate with people I know dieing when I know I could've prevented it."

"And you're prepared to lose your life a second time?"

"Yes. In full awareness."

Kiami sighed. "If you die on me, I'll… I'll… be super mad. I'll make sure you'd be remembered as a tyrant. Deal?"

"Deal," Ptolemy grinned as Kiami disappeared.


	7. Chapter 6

FIVE SIX

(**Author's Note**: I finally got a chance to look at how my story "looks like" on and saw all those little errors. I swear they weren't there when I edited them, so please excuse the strange things that cut the flow of the story! Thanks!)

**Kitty's POV**

The bickering inside the room suddenly stopped. It was way too quiet. Kitty regained composure, took a deep breath, and stood up. Slowly, as if doing a funeral walk, she walked over to the door, the floorboards creaking just a touch. She tightened her grip on the doorknob, then, swung open the door.

The room was cold and empty.

"Bartimaeus? K-K-…" Kitty couldn't bring herself to say Kaye's name.

Gone. Both of them. Before she could do anything about it, there was a slight whooshing sound and… Kaye materialized before her! Kitty jumped to her feet.

"How in the world—" Kitty began to ask.

"Oh, god, more explaining to do…" moaned Kaye.

Kitty only scowled. "Yes. You have _a lot_ of explaining to me. Just how much have you been keeping secret from me?"

Kaye hesitated. Then, she said, "I am Kiami."

Nathaniel's POV

The man was still grinning. "You hunt for her, day and night. Dead people don't really require sleep."

He walked out of the pentacle and snapped his fingers. A phantom essence materialized before him. The essence belonged to a red headed girl with dirt-like brown eyes and freckled skin. The man whispered a few words quietly and Nathaniel watched as bright red lines appeared in the air around the girl, and tied her up, tight. The girl struggled for a moment, then, her eyes appeared dead as the strings disappeared.

"This is Bella," the man said to Nathaniel, nodding toward the girl. "She will follow you and make sure you don't do anything… stupid. Go."

Before long, Nathaniel and Bella were out on the cold London streets on the eighth plane, unseen by the whole world. Nathaniel soon found that although phantom essences were somewhat like ghosts, it was impossible to walk through people. He concentrated on dodging and avoiding people. Once or twice, he would collide with a person who thought he or she was being struck by an invisible force.

A few streets later, Bella spoke up.

"Hey, dude," she said.

"Huh? I thought that those string thingies would take away your free will?"

"Ah. There's a little catch to that. You see, every time he uses those 'red strings' as you call them, a new set of orders are given. Today, the guy told me to always follow you and report to him if you saw Kiami and decided not to capture her. Stupid of him not to tell me to not talk to you. If, for instance, I tried to resist against this spell that binds me to following you, it would take a lot of wasted effort as I am fighting against the will he has imposed on me. Get it?"

"Absolutely. Do they," Nathaniel nodded his head to a group of people he was dodging, "hear us?"

"You obviously weren't taught much."

"Yes. I had just washed up upon one of the death islands recently when I was summoned."

"I feel sorry for you," said Bella sympathetically. "I'm from the 80s, you know. And, about your question, no, they don't hear us, unless they were weird and saw the eighth plane. You can only make them hear you if it was… intentional."

"How?"

"Again, it takes a lot of effort. Concentrate, as if aiming your voice toward the first plane. Try it."

Nathaniel had no clue what Bella meant, but he tried nonetheless. He leaned close to a person's ear and concentrated hard, as if directing a phrase toward the pedestrian.

"Hello," he breathed softly, and the woman jumped.

"Ah!" she shrieked, startled, and ran down the streets, knocking down other people.

Bella giggled. "You're fast."

Just then, Nathaniel noticed Bella was… floating above the ground. "How are you _doing_ that?"

"Concentrating, again. It's taking up a lot of my energy, though. The same goes for trying to walk through people. Concentrate. The weaker you were physically while you were alive, the less energy you'll have when you're dead."

Just as Nathaniel was about to try to walk through someone, a person immediately caught his eye. She was walking down in an empty alleyway, alone. Her shoulders were slumped and tears were streaked down her face. She was stumbling, nearly tripping, down the alleyway. Nathaniel gasped. It was her. _Her_.

It was Kitty.

Without thinking, Nathaniel whirled around and began running down the alleyway she was in. He jumped on top of her and crushed her to the ground. Nathaniel held a frightened Kitty in his arms. Nathaniel concentrated hard, and directed a sentence toward her…

Kitty's POV

Something was holding her. She was so sure of it. She had been wandering around in the streets, unhappy about all the secrets Kaye had kept from her. She promised she would tell Kitty _everything _tomorrow. But what was this invisible force? Then she heard it… the voice.

"Kitty…" a quiet voice moaned.

Nathaniel! It was his exact voice!

"Kitty…" the voice repeated and an invisible hand brushed her hair. "It's me, Nathaniel. In… death form…"

No. She was hearing things. Kitty wanted so much for this to be true, so much for her reunion with Nathaniel to be a reality, but she was hearing things. Oh, how she missed him… and how much she hated loving him. _If I'm day dreaming,_ she thought_, then I'll day dream as much as I can. Just to be with Nathaniel_.

"Nathaniel," she said, her voice shaking.

Then, she lifted her hands, and felt a body… felt a person's neck to be precise. Slowly, she felt her way up to the head. She ruffled her hand through his hair, traced around his ears, and gently fingered his lips. He was there, all right. Kitty held Nathaniel's face in her hands. She felt her body quiver and then came an irresistible feeling to kiss him.

She did.

Kitty pressed her lips against his. The minute their mouths made contact, both of them were still for a second. Then, she opened her mouth a little and Nathaniel followed. Their teeth clashed and Kitty felt the dryness of Nathaniel's dead tongue. His whole body was so _cold_. There lips parted for just a moment.

"I thought you hated me. Hated me for lying to you… and dying," Nathaniel breathed.

"Death only takes away so much," Kitty whispered back, and they kissed again.

Nathaniel's POV

Nathaniel hugged Kitty tighter as their lips made contact for a second time. Alongside him, Bella was blabbering non-stop.

"Oh my god, dude, you're so lucky I wasn't ordered to report you if you went off task, that girl's pretty cute by the way…" she fretted on and on, never pausing once to take a breath. Nathaniel tried his best to block out her voice.

Kitty was kissing him. Kissing _him._ A ruthless magician. One who died saving London, but died a liar. She was so _warm_ compared to him, whose whole body was cold with… "unlivingness". He felt the thump of her heart, a sound that he hadn't heard from his own body for a long time. If he could, Nathaniel would have been blushing right now. He was getting tired from directing his voice toward the first plane, so he spoke to Kitty for the last time as their lips parted.

"Kitty… I love…" he chickened out, "… see you later. Don't forget me. Don't think you dreamed this. I'm with you forever."

He felt Kitty tighten her grip on him. "Please don't go."

Reluctantly, Nathaniel pulled Kitty off him. He didn't want to leave her. Tears were already streaming down his face. But he knew the longer he stayed with Kitty, the more it would pain her heart when he left. He stepped back, positioning himself beside Bella. Kitty was screaming now.

"Nathaniel! _Nathaniel!_" she cried, her eyes welling with tears. "Come back!"

"Are you sure you must leave her like this?" asked Bella.

Nathaniel tried to keep his voice firm. "I'm afraid yes. I must."

Looking at Kitty one last time, Nathaniel turned around and left the alleyway with Bella, not turning back once. He felt another tear dribble down his cheek when he heard another of Kitty's pleas.

"I'm with you forever, Kitty," muttered Nathaniel. ,"deep in my heart that has stopped beating long since."


	8. Chapter 7

SEVEN

**Kitty's POV**

Kaye… _Kiami_ and Kitty were in a coffee shop. There was an unbreakable silence between them. There was a rhythmic clink of the spoon against the cup as Kiami endlessly added sugar and mixed the drink. Kitty watched the grains of sugar fall into her cup and took a small sip from her own cup. The coffee was bitter and sugarless, thanks to Kiami hogging the sugar the whole time. Kitty took the first step to break the tense silence between them.

"Sugar," she said, her voice cracking.

Kiami looked up as if snapping out of daydreaming and finally realized the tremendous amount of sugar in our cup. "Oh." She placed the sugar in front of Kitty and continued mixing the drink, aware that Kitty was now staring at her. She took a small sip and winced at the super-sweet taste. "I… like things sweet, that's all," she said quietly.

Kitty sighed. "You promised to explain today. Everything."

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?"

"Yes you did."

"Remind me," she muttered, "how did this start?"

"When you appeared out of _nowhere_! _Stop procrastinating_, Kaye… Kiami… Kaye… I… I don't know!"

"I guess since I'm telling you," she said quietly, her eyes unfocused, "I guess I'll tell you… everything." Kitty stared at her unblinking, waiting for her to actually start. She sighed. "Fine. Fine. I… it… well… oh my god, I can't get it out."

"Stop it, just _stop it_," Kitty wanted to scream. "_Just. Tell. Me!_"

Then, Kiami said almost too quickly, "Faquarl and my mom hit the bed."

Bartimaeus' POV

I swear, as I sat at that pentacle, waiting for my new master to give me a charge, there were too many half-crazed magicians out there. First Nathaniel. Then Kiami (1. Well, she isn't exactly a _magician_ but you get the point). Then this dude. He had a strange black mask on his face. Today, I took the form of a lion, which I didn't use very often, because I hated their manes.

"It's too true!" he howled to no one in particular.

"What? That your face is too ugly to show?" I inquired. When I saw the hurt look on his face, I gave him a quick rueful smile. "Sorry, I was just being honestly honest. Some humans are just naturally ugly. I was just wondering if you were one of those people."

"Be quiet, demon," he said through gritted teeth.

I was enjoying myself now. "Oh, so it's mean words now. Sorry, ugly, but simply calling me demon doesn't fill for the fact you're… _grotesque._"

"Hmmm. What should I do? The Inverted Skin?" (2. A terrible torture spell that makes moving hard and conversation almost _impossible_. What a pity he wants to shut me up now…)

O Ugly One, please, no," I pleaded. I was _really_ asking for it. But I just loved angering humans, _him_ in particular.

He said the spell and regret instantly gripped me as hard as the pain did. I was instantly binded together by the terrible impact. The lion winced in pain and could hardly growl. The man gave a satisfied chuckle.

"You should learn to respect your masters, demon." The lion only wriggled uselessly. "Do you want to be freed?" A nod. "Well, listen up. I want complete silence from you, agreed?" Another nod. The man muttered a word and I was snapped free from the bonds. I let out a sigh of relief, even though my essence still hurt like hell.

"All I got is a few questions for you, Bartimaeus. Do you remember Kitty Jones?"

I nodded.

"Do you know where she currently is?"

"Mmmm, mmmm, mmm mmmm mmmm!" I kept to the "no-talking" policy.

The man scowled. "You can _talk_ when I ask."

"Nope, I have no clue where she is." Notice how I'm refraining from comments on his appearance.

"I somehow doubt that. But okay."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Ugly people are a waste of my time."

"What?"

"Nothing," I grinned.

He dismissed me. My relieved essence returned to the Other Place. Just as I was about to ponder upon this summoning, I felt myself being summoned. _Again_. What is _with_ these magicians? Screw them. Another tug, and the Other Place disappeared.

Kitty's POV

"What did you _just say_?" Kitty exclaimed.

"Faquarl and my mom―" began Kiami.

"―no, I heard it. Do you _mean_ what you really _mean_?"

Kiami reddened. "Yes, I did. He… my mom was Hopkin's fiancée before Faquarl took over his body. When he did so, well, he tried to act like nothing happened, so he even played along with my… mom. They, well, you know what happens, and, behold, a half-human half-djinni is born."

"Half-djinni? How does _that_ work? Wouldn't you need to go to the Other Place then?"

"Well, since I have a 'human' side, I'm more anchored to the human world rather than the Other Place, although I _could_ travel freely between the two worlds if I wished. But me being half-djinni isn't really what I'm about to tell you. I'm… the mistress of Death, Kitty."

Kitty's heart skipped a beat. How much had she been hiding? And she used to think she was her best friend. "How do I know," she said coldly, "that what you're telling me is not a big fat lie?"

"Honestly, Kitty. Do you think I'm very proud that _Faquarl_ is my father?"

"Erm, no."

"Just hang in there. Let me finish my story."

"There's a whole _story_ to this?"

"Yeah. And… it sort of shows the cruel side of me."

"Go on. I don't care anymore."

"Oh, Kitty…"

"Just tell me," said Kitty defiantly.

"I was betrayed, lied to, and almost _killed_ multiple times. Well all stories start with once upon a time, don't they? Well, once upon a time, Kiami Hopkins was born…"


End file.
